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I have a basic idea why, but can someone just confirm, why chlorine isn't able to hydrogen bond despite the fact that it has the same electronegativity value as nitrogen.

H.Linkhorn
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H-bonding only occurs between a hydrogen bonded covalently to oxygen, fluorine or nitrogen, and another oxygen, fluorine or nitrogen bonded to a hydrogen.It does not matter that chlorine has the same electronegativity as nitrogen because (i assume you mean H-Cl) chlorine is larger than the O,F or N so its electron density is lesser than these elements. If you meant Cl-Cl, there is no difference in electronegativity between the two atoms so polarity = 0.

Matt
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  • That is true of the strongest hydrogen bonds. But, as other questions/answers under the hydrogen-bonding tag point out, there are also hydrogen bond interactions involving heavier halogens and even carbon. Shakespeare: "There are more worlds, Horatio, than are dreamt of in [routine] philosophy." – Oscar Lanzi Jun 24 '18 at 00:52